ALCO RS-2 Build List

One of the articles that I have been working on for Shoreliner covers the DERS-2 locomotives (RS-2 and RS-3).  There is one specific piece of information I haven't been able to nail down, so I'm simultaneously hoping others may have a reference I don't, while sharing the list that I've compiled that  I don't think has been published anywhere in this form.

Of course, this is a work-in-progress, so may be in need of many corrections.

Alco Specification E-1661

When built, the RS-2 designation didn't exist yet. The first locomotives were built using Alco Specification E-1661. The RS-2 name wasn't applied until c1952, after production had evolved to the RS-3 (Specification E-1662).

Alco Specification E-1661A (and B)

In March of 1947, D&H 4006 (builder number 75141) was built under the new specification E-1661A, although CIL 22 (b/n 75142) was the first delivered, although a different account identifies GN 200-203 (built June 1947) as the first. So yes - inconsistent.  This was a significant upgrade, as the belt-driven auxiliaries were replaced by gear-driven ones.  However, locomotives combined to be built under the original specification simultaneously, into 1949.

The New Haven diagram only lists one auxiliary generator, the 5GY24A, which was the belt-driven generator used in specification E-1661.  This would imply that the first run (December 1947-January 1948) and second run (November-December 1948) were all built to specification E-1661, even though locomotives were already being built with Specification E-1661A. 

Although many references group E-1661A and E-1661B specification locomotives together, only the nine MLW-built units were specification E-1661B.

According to Kirkland, there were 35 locomotives built to specification E-1661, the last of which were five CGW units (53-57) built August 1949.

There were fifteen built before March 1947:

• D&M (5)
• D&H (7)
• CIL (1)
• Demonstrator (2)

And two were exported to Ontario Northland. Including the final five units for CGW, that leaves only thirteen of the thirty-five which isn't enough to cover all seventeen of the New Haven units. It is likely that CGW 50-52 were also this specification. That leaves only ten units built for the NH.

In that case, the first order of ten (0500-0509) would be specification E-1661 with belt-drive auxiliaries, completing the 35 units built under that specification. This makes sense.

But that would mean the second group of seven (0510-0516) had to have been built under the second E-1661A specification and not the earlier one, and the NH diagram is missing information.  The alternative is that published accounts (which seems to start with Kirkland) of only 35 locomotives being built under specification E-1661 is inaccurate.  I suspect it's probably a 50-50 chance of either.

In theory, all of these records are held by the ALCO Historical & Technical Society, but they aren't in a position to find them right now due to some reorganization going on now.

Specification E-1661C

Multiple sources also indicate that there were 31 units built under specification E-1661C.  The major upgrade here was to the 244C prime mover with 1,600 hp. Seaboard was the first to receive them, along with WM and Erie. The thirty-first unit was Demonstrator 1600.

But the first eight "RS-3" units built, for Great Northern (197-224) were also built to this specification. They had the new RS-3 carbody, but the 244C (instead of 244D) prime mover, and other mechanical aspects of the RS-2.  These changes were iterative, essentially the next step in the evolution of the major components. But for all practical purposes, these are RS-2 locomotives, not RS-3s.

This assessment is in line with Alco's practices, too, where the mechanical specifications is what determined the type of locomotive.  In 1962, when rebuilding RS-3 locomotives for the NH, they were initially going to be rebuilt as (per Alco documentation) DL-701 engines. That is, they would receive 251 prime movers and, as far as Alco was concerned,  they would be RS-11 locomotives, even though they would have retained their RS-3 bodies. The financial condition dictated otherwise, and they were instead simply rebuilt with 244H, aka model 250 prime movers and other upgrades. 

--

Anyway, here's a spreadsheet that attempts to compile all of the specification numbers for Alco RS-2s. Hopefully somebody can confirm whether the second group of NH RS-2s were built under Specification E-1661 or E-1661A.

Alco RS-2 Build List and Specifications

Springfield Traffic

 

Marc at work had a small stack of a little over 100 Home Route cards that came out of Springfield.  The cards are all dated from February and March 1946, although not all originally routed through Springfield. 

Springfield

For Springfield there are 29 roads represented (71 cars, one of which I can't identify the road).  They are not necessarily roads I expected.

• PRR - 10 - 14%
• B&O - 8 - 11%
• BM - 7 - 10%
• CP - 7 - 10%
• ATSF - 4 - 6%
• CNJ - 3 - 4%
• FGEX - 3 - 4%
• CG - 2 - 3%
• D&H - 2 - 3% 
• GARX - 2 - 3%
• MDT - 2 - 3%
• MEC - 2 - 3%
• RDG - 2 - 3%
• SRLX - 2 - 3%

• ARLX - 1
• ART -  1
• BLE - 1
• ERIE - 1
• IC - 1
• L&N - 1 
• MILW - 1
• NADX - 1
• NH - 1
• NP - 1
• PFE - 1
• SOO - 1
• SOU - 1
• VGN - 1

The mix of cars is also interesting:

• Box Cars - 25 - 35%
• Reefers - 14 - 20%
• Hoppers - 21- 30%
• Gondolas - 7 - 10%

I was surprised to see two Canadian Pacific stock cars and a ventilated box car (Central of Georgia).

Ventilated box car CG 55991 arrived via Springfield on February 18, 1946.  It went to Bridgeport on February 20. It appears to have been released on February 28, and was then routed via Cedar Hill on March 1 on its way back to Springfield, also on March 1.  It's interesting that it came into the NH via Springfield, but assuming it was empty on the way out, the car routing rules indicate it should be sent out via the same route it arrived. 

The selection of cars routing via other points is too small for any meaningful analysis, but still interesting. There was one Southern box car via Harlem River and one CN box car via New London. Via Worcester there was an MEC and Wabash box car. 

Bay Ridge (15 cars)

CP, PFE and SOO with 2 cars each, plus one each of ART, BM, GARX, NP, OWR&N, SAL, SFRD, and Southern.

Seven each of box cars and reefers, and one hopper (Boston & Maine).

Oak Point (10 cars)

Half were CP, 3 box cars, a reefer and a stock car.  Two Southern box cars, and an ART and MDT reefer.

Maybrook

Thirteen cards were for cars routed via Maybrook. Eight of those were reefers: 1 ART, 1 LRX, 1 MDT, three PFE and an SFRD. I'm not sure on the last one. Two CP box cars, and one each of B&O, BAR, and IHB.

--

Although the number of cards is too small to derive any real info regarding routing, I think there are still some interesting things to note.

I was surprised as the number of Pennsy and B&O cars coming via Springfield, but I have a probably explanation. I think many of these specific cars were on their return leg. That is, a B&O or PRR box car that originally carried a load to, say, Maine was unloaded when it arrived at its destination. Car routing rules specify a car that is not reloaded be routed back the same way it arrived. If the car was originally routed to the B&M via the New Haven, it would have likely gone through Springfield. So it would come back via Springfield too. They could also be loaded and routed via the NH.

What does that mean for my modeling purposes? That cars I might not have considered routing via Springfield could be part of the consist of a Hartford to Maybrook freight. 

This is the first documentation in my era of a ventilated box car on New Haven rails. I was also surprised the two stock cars were CP, one at Springfield and one at Oak Point.

The mix of hoppers is always something I'm interested in learning more. In this case it was B&O (4), BLE (1), B&M (2), CG (1), CNJ (2), D&H (2), Erie (1), NH (1), PRR (6), RDG (1), and VGN (1). The anthracite roads all make sense, although all of them were via Springfield. The D&H cars were probably loaded, but I suspect the others were all empties on their way home.

The B&M ones (one at Springfield and one at Bay Ridge) are more interesting. Without knowing the commodity, I'm guessing these cars may have been related moves since they had so few hoppers.

The CG and VGN were also unusual. If they were bituminous coal, they were a long way from home, especially when the bulk of coal from their region would have come by water via Baltimore.  Again, these went via Springfield, so it's likely that the NH was simply part of the routing.

I also didn't expect reefers to be the second most common cars. The mix was not quite what I expected (although being February would have an impact on what commodities were shipping and from where). PFE was the most numerous at six, but ART and MDT were second with four each. CP, FGEX, and GARX all had three, and SFRD and SRLX had two each. The LRX car is an interesting one too, not many of those.

There are no tank cars at all, but this is expected because they always ran on a waybill. They would not use Home Route Cards.

Research - Railway Mechanical Engineer

I'm well into writing an extensive article on New Haven heavyweight equipment. Fortunately, there are a lot of historical records and resources online, particularly periodicals and professional journals. Even better, most are searchable (although skimming through them manually often still yields further insight). 

Railway Age is probably the most commonly known such journal.

Many of these periodicals changed names over the years, and/or were combined with other journals. They often maintained their volume numbering system, from predecessors, which can be confusing because you may be looking for editions of, say, Railway Age Gazette, Mechanical Edition and not find many

One such periodical is Railway Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, which was absorbed into Railway Age in 1953. But it only used that title for a short period. Here's a list of links to the issues of that periodical, along with its predecessors all linked to online sources. It retained its volume numbering system from American Railroad Journal starting in 1832.

Many of these are hosted in multiple places on the internet, but the ones I have linked have copies that are available to download without restrictions.

Happy reading and researching!

American Railroad Journal

• Volumes 1 (1832) to 60 (1886)
• This merged with

Van Nostrand's Engineering Magazine

• Volumes 1 (1869) to 35 (1886)
• to become

Railroad and Engineering Journal

• Volume 61 (1887) to 66 (1892)
• and then

American Engineer and Railroad Journal

• Volumes 67 (1893) to 85 (1911)
• Volumes 87 (1912) and 87 (1913) were retitled American Engineer
• Another journal:

National Car Builder

• Volumes 1 (1870) to 16 (1885)
• Only 11-16 are currently available online.
• became

National Car and Locomotive Builder

• Volumes 17 (1886) to 26 (1895)
• then was absorbed into American Engineer and Railroad Journal

• Partway through 1913 it was acquired by the Railway Age Gazette:

Railway Age Gazette, Mechanical Edition

• Volumes 87 (1913) to 89 (1915)
• It 1916 it was retitled to:

Railway Mechanical Engineer

• Volumes 90 (1916) to 123 (1949)
• After 1949 it became

Railway Mechanical and Electrical Engineer

• Volumes 124 (1950) to 126 (1952)
• It was then absorbed into Railway Age

Railway Age

In my usual process of researching stuff, I stumbled across the fact that the Internet Archive hosts what appears to be a complete collection of Railway Age through 2016. They are also largely searchable and downloadable to boot.

The timing was good since I've been under the weather with a bad cold. 

I added a link to the sidebar too. Enjoy!

Railway Age 1870-2016 : Free Texts : Free Download, Borrow and Streaming : Internet Archive

New Haven Industries: Allen Manufacturing Co

 I was working near the livestock chute today, and found this partially buried next to it:

It's a case for a hex wrench, otherwise known as an Allen wrench. It should have occurred to me that the name of the tool came from the name of a company, which was the name of a person. I also had no idea that it was invented/patented in Hartford.

But that's the case, The Allen Manufacturing Company was yet another Connecticut tool manufacturer. There's little reason for me to write up more since there's an excellent overview of the company on this blog. 

But I will note that they opened a manufacturing facility in Bloomfield in 1958, although it appears it wasn't directly served by the railroad, based on the location of their plant. 

Regardless, it was interesting to see yet another common tool comes from a Connecticut company.

Reading Materials

 As my new "part time" job at the Central New England is turning into 40+ hours a week, I haven't been getting quite as much done on the layout. Although I have been continuing to clean up and fiddle around with a project here and there. Last night was Photo Library night down at Chris' as well, so that's always fun. Especially when it turns up some photos that confirm some important modeling info (more to come in a future post on that one).

I've also picked up a few new books recently. I didn't even know this was published by NHRHTA (although apparently Chris has a copy...):

I will be going through it when I have a chance to update the adoption dates for various paint schemes on the switcher spreadsheet. 

Two official New Haven booklets followed.

The Official List is the third such one that I have (one of which was issue No. 42 in 1928). This has a lot less information than the earlier ones (no scale tracks for example), but it's still interesting.

The Engine Ratings is interesting, although we sort of had this information already. Some simple math indicates they are referring to 50-ton cars. It provides tonnage ratings for various lines, for fast, slow, and local freights. If you divide the tonnage ratings noted in the Arranged Freight Train Symbol Books by 50, you arrive at the same numbers.

It only lists steam locomotives, although there is one notation referring to "motors" which is usually a term that references the electric locomotives:

"Single motors should be limited to fifty (50) cars either loaded or empty regardless of tonnage,"

Ratings also change due the weather and for low grade and high grade routes. The maximum number of cars varied quite a bit. For example, a slow freight on the Maybrook to Waterbury and New Haven runs with an L-1 was a maximum of 76 cars. The Valley Line with a K-1-d? 19 cars on a local freight.

The last book is Highways & Byways of Connecticut which was published in 1947 by G. Fox Co. as part of a celebration of the company's one hundredth anniversary of its founding in Hartford. 

It's an overview of CT with chapters on Towns and Cities, Mountains, Governors, and Industries. Interesting, and will certainly help identify other potential directions to research.

Apparently this started as a series of 5-minute radio vignettes on WTIC radio, and they were popular enough to expand into a book.

Rail Code

Another question that comes up frequently on Facebook and other groups is, "what code rail should I use?"

Well, I probably couldn't get a better picture than this to show why you might want to consider different code rail on your layout:

The new rail is 131 lb., and the old rail is so worn I haven't been able to find any markings. It is the smallest rail that I think I've ever found. How can I figure out what size rail it is?

Measure it.

It's 4" tall. I happen to have several original NH documents regarding rail dimensions.

This page isn't dated but doesn't have any rail that's only 4" tall.

This one did, though. It's 56 lb. rail. There's another page that's a fold-out and too large for my scanner, but it confirms the dimensions. Even better, it lists all of the standard rail dimensions, and notes which ones the NH used:

Once again, we find that the 4" rail is 56 lb. Here are a couple of additional pages from the book regarding rail:

How does this apply to our modeling? 

Conventional modeling wisdom is to use Code 83 for main tracks, and Code 70 for sidings and yards, and occasionally with Code 55 for light industry tracks. The fact is, for many modelers it should be Code 70 and lighter.

To start, a quick refresher on rail codes. Model rail is measured by "code" which refers to the height of the rail. Code 100 is 0.10" and Code 70 is 0.70" tall. The prototype refers to the weight of the rail, per yard.

There are many sources that relate the two, a common one I see (such as this one) is:

• Code 100 = 156 lb. rail
• Code 83 = 132 lb. rail
• Code 70 = 100 lb. rail

Or this one from the NMRA that indicates Code 100 "represents" 152 lb. rail instead of 156 lb. rail.

But the NMRA data shows it's a bit more complicated:

• 155 lb. rail would actually be Code 92 (and 152 lb. rail would be maybe Code 90).
• Code 83 falls between AREA 140 lb. rail (Code 84) and AREA 132 lb. rail (Code 82).

Railway Prototype Cyclopedia 5 has a chart detailing several brands of rail, in various scales, which fills in some holes. I use Microengineering track/rail, which is:

• Code 100 = 177 lb. rail (!)
• Code 83 = 136 lb. rail (Code 82 is 132 lb., Code 84 is 140 lb.)
• Code 70 = 108 lb. rail
• Code 55 = 74 lb. rail

Can we even model the 56 lb. rail? Microengineering makes Code 40 rail, although it's designed for N-scale. But it would be even smaller, about 3.5" tall or the equivalent of 40 lb. rail. On the NMRA RP 15.1 it shows 55 lb. rail is Code 47.

Based on the common designation of Code 100 = 155 lb, it's often noted that the only use of such heavy rail was the PRR on a relatively short section of their heaviest mainlines. This isn't quite true. As it turns out, 155 lb. rail is noted on a NH Rail Weight Diagram (updated through November 9, 1954) in a very short segment on the westbound main track just west of Saybrook. I believe it was also used on the P&LE in at least one segment. Regardless, it's not widely used.

The rest of the rail on the westbound main track from Boston to Woodlawn is 130 lb. or 132 lb. rail. Some sections of the eastbound main are 140 lb. rail, much of it welded.

If the Shoreline is 132 lb. rail, or a close match to Code 83 and the Maybrook Line is 130 lb. rail, it seems that the old standard of "Code 83 for the main tracks" holds true.

Or does it?

If you look at the diagram, the only other major section on the entire New Haven Railroad with 130/132 lb. rail through 1954 is Middleboro to Matfield, MA. The Springfield main track is 112 lb. rail (along with Groton to Norwich), with all of the rest of the rail on the New Haven 107 lb. or lighter. The Berkshire Line, Highland Line, Most of the Norwich & Worcester, parts of the Air Line, Midland Line, and the Canal Line north of Plainville are all this weight rail.

Branch lines, like the New Hartford, Griffins, Suffield, and even the Valley Line are under 80 lb. rail. An earlier map reveals these to be primarily 78, 79 and 80 lb. rail.

So unless you're modeling the Shoreline, Maybrook Line, or Springfield Line, your New Haven layout should be Code 70 or even Code 55 for the main tracks.

There are far more prototypical rail weights than available codes of model rail, because it's not practical to manufature all of them. Here's how I would cover the range of rail weights:

• Code 83 = 122-140 lb. rail
• Code 70 = 91-121 lb. rail
• Code 55 = 74-91 lb. rail
• Code 40 = anything less than 74 lb. rail

Another way to think of it is heavy, medium, light, and extra light rail. 

So yes, Code 83 for heavily trafficked main tracks. Otherwise, Code 70 for main tracks, and Code 55 for others. While this covers only the NH, I suspect it holds true for a lot of other railroads through the '50s (at least).

New Haven standard rail weights are: 56, 60, 67, 68, 70, 74, 75, 78, 79, 80, 90, 93, 100, 107, 130. That's 15 different rail profiles, although I think this was largely because the NH was consolidated out of many smaller roads and they each used different rail.

• Code 83 = 7.1" tall, New Haven 131 lb. rail is 7-1/8" tall.
• Code 70 = 6.1" tall, New Haven 107 lb. rail is 6-1.8" tall.
• Code 55 = 4.8" tall, New Haven 78 and 79 lb. rail is 4-3/4" tall.

That's a pretty close match in my opinion.

Prototype Usage

Really? Code 70 for most model railroads? Yes, at least pre-1970, and probably much later too.

The NMRA has a chart at the bottom of RP-15 - Rail that compiles prototype usage of different weights of rail from 1940 to 1960. What I find very interesting is that in 1960 only 25.66% of rail in use on Class I railroads was 120 lbs or heavier.

That is, in 1960, only 25% of rail in use was the equivalent of Code 83.

The rest would be the equivalent of Code 70 (52%) or less; ~20% would be Code 55, and the remainder even lighter, or Code 40.

I don't have percentages for eras later than 1960, but as you can see the adoption of heavier rail was fairly slow. Part of that is because the heavier rail is primarily installed on heavily used main tracks. A lot of the time that old rail that doesn't meet the standards for heavy main track use can still be used on branch and lighter used lines. So the rail gets reused, and the oldest rail slowly gets replaced. 

Here's an old webpage on the Internet Archive that has information for a number of prototypes:

https://web.archive.org/web/20200128165422/www.icrr.net/rails.htm

Today

What about more modern modelers? I don't have a lot of info, of course, except for what I've seen around here. Over on the ex-Highland Line and the Canal Line (in Plainville) it is still predominantly ex-NH 107 lb rail (Code 70). But it can vary.

The CNZR has slowly upgraded portions of the track over the years. They get rail from other roads in the state. From what I understand, since the state owns the railroad, when rail is taken out someplace else, such as the Springfield mainline, it has to be made available for the smaller railroads. A freight-only line with low speeds doesn't need the same weight of rail as a high-speed main track. In a few hundred feet I found rail in use from as early as 1908, and up to 140 lb. welded rail. Compromise joint bars must be used between sections of different size rail, and in some cases, there are very short sections of a given size simply because they need to use multiple size compromise bars to get from a very small weight rail to a much heavier size. In a lot of cases I could barely read the old markings, but the first one is the standard NH 107 lb. rail that is still common throughout CT.

This sort of detail may seem very particular, but it is noticeable, especially in photographs. Since photos of our models turn them into 1:1 scale, and most people are likely to see your modeling in photos than in person, little details like these can become more important.

Myths About Rail Code

The code of rail doesn't have anything to do with reliability or ease of use. Wheels interface with the rail the exact same way regardless of what code the rail is. Code 100 isn't easier to work with, more durable, less prone to derailments, less susceptible to poor track installation, etc., or any of the many other comments you may see. 

The only exception are models that don't have RP-25 flanges may bottom out on the spikes (especially oversized spikes, molded or otherwise). You may find these on older (early '60s and before), or European models (which are often actually 00 scale), through the '80s. But fixing this is as simple as changing out the wheelsets. This is possible even with locomotives.

The reason there is no difference in use is simply because the only thing that matters is how the wheel rides on the rail head. The wheel primarily contacts the inner railhead, although model wheel treads aren't always cone-shaped like the prototype so sometimes they ride more on the railhead itself. The only difference is how tall the rail is, but that's irrelevant mechanically, unless the wheels have oversized flanges.

Electrically, smaller rail does have a higher degree of voltage drop, for the same reason that a thinner wire does. However, they conduct electricity to the wheelsets in exactly the same way. Sufficient feeders are recommended for redundancy anyway. 

Code 55 or less is more flexible. If you compare it to Code 100 you'll see why. It's much lighter rail. But the mechanical operation is the same.

I'd recommend doing a little research, and you may be surprised and find that even Code 83 is larger than you need. I also found Microengineering Code 70 was less expensive than Atlas Code 100 when building my layout. I do wish I had used more Code 55 for industry tracks, but in photos it appears the yard tracks may be the same size rail as the main tracks. 

Pictures from work (CNZR)

I haven't done a whole lot of rail fanning, but when I have, it's often literally "rail" fanning, since there aren't all that many trains running near me. Now that I'm working at CNZR part time, I have a lot of opportunity to do so.

Here's a shot at the start of a Sunday morning work day at Tobey Rd looking toward Hartford.

One of the things you'll notice on a lot of layouts is that the right of way, and scenery around it, is often very uniform. This is true to some degree on a well maintained mainline, especially back in the '50s and earlier. But you'll otherwise find that it's quite variable, in part because of the terrain around it.

Looking the other way, and a little up the line (past the current construction) you'll see that there are a lot of tall weeds. It's hard to tell, but this is in a drainage ditch. The track here is actually in a bit of a depression, you'll note that the ground on both sides is higher. 

If I move up to where that line pole is, you'll see that the weeds are much less, and the ditch has a lot of small puddles of water. 

On the opposite side, looking back towards Hartford again, this side has almost no vegetation (it's in shade all day), It's just dry, but still has a drainage ditch (also dry).

Looking away from Hartford again, the pile of newer ballast is where the other photo was taken. That ballast is there for the ongoing construction, but it also highlights that the scenery also tells a bit of the history of the railroad. 

That's often most clear in things like the ties, in this case where there are a lot of well-worn ties, with some replacements. Again you can see how the ballast varies quite a bit.

One last shot looking toward Hartford.

For earlier eras, we have to rely on photos for details like these. If you're modeling railroading today, though, I highly recommend getting out there and taking a look where you can (safely and legally). I will say that in pictures of New Britain in my era, the track and right of way are much better maintained. This sort of interesting track and scenery almost makes me want to model a later era. 

Almost...

Middle Atlantic Transportation Co (and a bonus)

I was poking around looking for a colorized picture I had seen a while ago for a truck from Middle Atlantic Transportation Co. Because of the name of the company, I've always had trouble finding them, and I thought I had downloaded it, but couldn't find it.

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across this at Getty Images.

The company was headquartered in New Britain, near Wooster St, and photographed by William C Shrout in a series of pictures taken in 1942 for Life magazine. I don't believe they were ever published. Not all of the photos were taken in New Britain.

Middle Atlantic Trucking terminal, New Britain, CT.

I don't think they were served by the railroad, as they were a competitor, shipping freight between New Britain (Hartford), New York, Cleveland, and Detroit. But I'm working on getting decals produced so I can have a truck on the layout somewhere since it's a local company. The video is the first color image or video I have found from the era. Based on the video I'll be using a 32' Fruehauf Aerovan trailer from Wiseman Model Services, and a Sylvan 1948-53 C6100 2-ton tractor. These look like exact matches.

Unfortunately the terminal is located off the layout, otherwise I would do several different trucks.

Landers, Frary & Clark

In the process of searching for that, I found another set of unrelated (but interesting) videos.

This is a series of newsreels that was also apparently never released. It shows how the Landers, Frary & Clark Coffeematic Pot is produced. While interesting in and of itself, what's most useful to me is to learn that the pot was made of copper, and also copper-, nickel-, and chrome-plated. These, of course, are commodities that I'll need to have shipped to the plant.

Railmodel Journal Index

Railmodel Journal was, in my opinion, one of the best railroad modeling magazines published. 

The primary interest for me are the Freight Cars of the '50s series of articles, a feature in most issues. These focused on a specific model and the prototypes that match it and are great articles by a who's who of prototype modeling pioneers. While many of these articles have been expanded upon in other publications (such as Railway Prototype Cyclopedia), they are still full of useful information and are the best place to start to identify the accuracy of models released through 2008 when RMJ ceased publication. I note plastic models that have been released since. I only mention other resin kits if the article is about a kitbash, since the resin kit would be the easier (and often more accurate) option.

This is simply a re-organized and reformatted list primarily copied from the RMJ site which can be accessed at the Internet Archive. Like the RMJ site, you can search this page with the search function in your browser. I've only included HO scale info (because that's what I compiled), and only those articles that cover prototype info and specific models. 

I list individual entries by road name, provided that info was in RMJ's index. 

All of these articles are available at Train Life online for free. I've listed them in the following format:

Prototype. Model. Author. Issue.

40-FOOT BOX CARS

• 40-foot all-steel box cars. Accurail/Des Plaines/Sylvan. Swain. 10/00, 1, 3/01.
• 1937 AAR box cars. IMWX. Hendrickson. 7/94.
• 1937 AAR ACF box cars. IMWX/Red Caboose. Hawkins/Wider/Long, 7/91.
• 1937 AAR ACF box cars. IMWX/Red Caboose. Hendrickson. 11/92.
• 1937 AAR ACF double-door box cars. Red Caboose. Hendrickson. 1/98.
• 1937 AAR wood-side box cars with 5/4 Dreadnaught ends. Athearn/Sunshine. Lofton. 2/94.
• 1941 Modified AAR box cars. Athearn/Intermountain/Sunshine. Hawkins, 8, 10, 12 /96, 3/97.
• 1944 AAR box cars. C&BT. Hawkins/Wider/Long. 10, 11/89, 2, 7, 10, 11/90, 6/92.
• 1944 AAR box cars. C&BT. Hendrickson. 12/89.
• 1944 AAR box cars. Branchline/C&BT. Hawkins. 10, 11/99, 1/00.
• 1944 AAR box cars. Kitbash. Accurail/McKean. Hawkins. 4/94.
• 1944 AAR single- and double-door box cars. Branchline. Hawkins. 11/99, 1/00.
• 1944 AAR double-door box cars. C&BT. Hawkins 6/92.
• 1944 AAR double-door box cars. C&BT. Hawkins/Wider/Long. 1/90.
• 1944 welded double-door box car. Kitbash. Accurail. 4/94.
• The term "Interim" applied to the ends in these articles is a misnomer. Improved Dreadnaught End was the manufacturer's (SREM) trademarked name, no "interim."
• 1955-1961 AAR box car. Branchline/Red Caboose. Hawkins. 7/99.
• ATSF 1890-1900 era box and stock cars. 12/02
• ATSF 1944 AAR box cars. C&BT. Hendrickson. 9/89.
• ATSF Bx-11/12/13 box cars. Westerfield. Hendrickson. 5/95.
• B&O M-26 single-door box car clones Red Caboose/Westerfield. Hendrickson. 6/98, 11, 12/01.
• C&O 1937 AAR Rebuilt 40-foot box cars. Pitzer. 5/96.
• CN 1-1/2-door single-sheathed 40-foot box car. Accurail. Hendrickson. 4/93.
• CN 1916-1917 40-foot single-sheathed box cars from Accurail/Sunshine. Hendrickson. 2/93.
• CN 1929 40-foot single-sheathed box cars. Steam Shack. Swain. 6/94.
• CN 40' box cars. Kitbash. C&BT/Intermountain/McKean. Swain. 12/92, 3/93.
• CNJ 40-foot single-sheathed box cars. Accurail/Tichy. Roseman, 2/03.
• CNJ box cars. Red Caboose/Walthers. Roseman. 11/02.
• DT&I X29 box car clones. Red Caboose/Westerfield. Hendrickson. 6/98, 11, 12/01.
• GN 12-panel box cars. Intermountain. Buck. 10/98.
• GTW 1-1/2-door single-sheathed 40-foot box car. Accurail. Hendrickson. 4/93.
• ITC 1944 AAR box cars. Kitbash. C&BT. Hawkins. 2/91.
• LS&I PS-1 box cars. Accurail. Switzer. 9/03.
• Mather box car. Proto 2000. Hendrickson, 8/03
• M&StL 6-foot door car kitbash. Intermountain. Freeman. 1/02.
• MILW 40' roof-hatch box cars. MDC. Rydarowicz. 6/01.
• MILW rib-side box cars. Rib Side Models. Hendrickson. 12/04
• MP AAR box cars. Branchline. Freeman. 2/03.
• NKP X29 box car clones. Red Caboose/Westerfield. Hendrickson. 6/98, 11, 12/01.
• NYC USRA single-sheathed box car. Tichy. Switzer. 6/02.
• Forthcoming Rapido car.
• PRR X26C box cars. Athearn/Sunshine. Lofton/Meacham. 8/92.
• F&C and forthcoming Rapido cars.
• PRR X28 1-1/2-door box cars. Intermountain. Roseman. 8/04.
• PRR X29 box cars. Red Caboose/Sunshine/Walthers. Lofton, 9/93, Hendrickson. 8/97.
• PRR X29B box cars. Front Range. Davis. 3/91.
• PRR X29B box cars. C&BT/Sunshine. Lofton. 1/94.
• PRR X29G box cars. Kitbash. Details West. Bley. 2/91.
• PRR X43 box cars. C&BT. Davis. 9/91.PRR X31 round-roof box cars. Burg. 3/95.
• PRR X37 1937 AAR box car. Athearn. LaRue. 9/90.
• PRR X37B double-door box car kitbash. Athearn/Front Range. LaRue. 11/92.
• PRR X54 box cars. Kitbash. Details West. Bley. 1/91.
• Pullman Standard "PS-0" box cars. Intermountain/Red Caboose. Rydarowicz. 3/01.
• Pullman Standard PS-1 box cars. Accurail/Cannonball/Con-Cor/Intermountain/Kadee/McKean/Model Power/Walthers. 6/89, 3/93, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11/93, 1, 6, 11, 12/94, 5, 6, 7, 12/97.
• SOO PS-1 box car. McKean. Holbrook. 12/90.
• Linde 40' box/tank cars. McKean. Rydarowicz. 7/93.
• T&P box cars. Intermountain. Freeman. 9/01.
• UP B-50-24, -27 box cars. Trix. Hendrickson. 6/03.
• USRA 40-foot double-sheathed box cars. Ertl/Westerfield. Hendrickson 5/98.
• Rapido model
• USRA rebuilt single-sheathed box cars. Tichy. Lofton and Hendrickson. 4, 5, 6/92, 7/93
• W&LE X29 box car clones. Red Caboose/Westerfield. Hendrickson. 6/98, 11, 12/01.
• WAB 1944 AAR box cars. C&BT. Hawkins. 5/91.
• War Emergency single-sheathed box cars. Sunshine. Culotta, 4/03.

50-FOOT BOX CARS

• 1941 AAR 50' box cars. Proto 2000. Hendrickson. 4/98.
• 1941 AAR 50' double-door box cars. Athearn/Proto 2000. Hendrickson. 10/95, 3, 9/96.
• 1944 AAR 50' box cars. Branchline. 8/89, 3, 4, 6, 9/90, 10/92.
• 50' composite box cars. MDC/Westerfield. Burg/Hendrickson. 7, 10, 11/89,
• 50' single-sheathed box cars. MDC/Walthers/Westerfield. Hendrickson. 7/95, 7/96.
• GAEX 50' single-door "DF" box cars. Branchline/C&BT (Kitbash). 3, 4, 9/90, 4/91, 2/92.
• GN 50' single-sheathed box cars. Westerfield. Nehrich. 7/95.
• NP 50' double-door box cars. Kitbash. Details West. Pitzer. 3/00.
• PRR 50' single door box cars. Details West. Davis. 4/91.
• PRR X31B 50' round-roof box cars. Bowser. Davis. 8/91.
• PRR X32, 33 50' double-door box cars. Bowser. Burg. 2/96.
• Pullman Standard 50' "PS-0" box cars. Intermountain/Red Caboose. Rydarowicz. 3/01.
• Pullman Standard 50' PS-1 double-door box cars. Intermountain. Hawkins. 6, 7/95, 1/96.
• Pullman Standard 50' PS-1 single-door box cars. Intermountain. Hawkins. 12/95.

COVERED HOPPERS

• ACF two-bay covered hoppers. Bowser/ECW/Kato. Hawkins/Wider/Long. 4, 8, 10, 12/91.
• ACF two-bay covered hoppers. Bowser/ECW/Kato. Eager. 3, 5/94.
• ACF two-bay covered hoppers. Bowser/ECW/Kato. Hendrickson. 9/97.
• ACF two-bay covered hoppers. Bowser/ECW/Kato. Mende. 3/94.
• ACF two-bay covered hoppers. Kitbash. Con-Cor. Charles. 8/90.
• Intermountain model.
• Airslide covered hoppers. Con-Cor/ECW/Walthers. 12/90, 2/91, 10/92.
• PRR H21D covered hopper. Kitbash. Westerfield. Bossler. 2/04.
• PRR H34 PS-2 covered hopper. Atlas/MDC. Burg. 12/93, 1/94.
• Pullman Standard PS-2 covered hoppers. Atlas/MDC. Gher. 7/90.
• Pullman Standard PS-2 covered hoppers. Atlas/MDC. Hawkins. 4, 6, 9, 11/95.
• Pullman Standard PS-2 covered hoppers. Kadee. Hawkins. 12/03.

FLAT CARS

• AAR 50', 50-ton flat cars. Proto 2000. Hendrickson. 6, 8/99.
• A&WP pulpwood flat cars. Coates. 9/93.
• ACL pulpwood flat cars. Coates. 9/93.
• ATSF pulpwood flat cars. Coates. 9/93.
• B&O 50' piggyback (TOFC) flats and trailers. Kitbash. Athearn. 10/89.
• Bethlehem 75' piggyback (TOFC) flat cars. Walthers. Vaughan. 4/90.
• C&G pulpwood flat cars. Coates. 9/93.
• CSXT pulpwood flat cars. Coates. 9/93.
• GA pulpwood flat cars. Coates. 9/93.
• GM&O pulpwood flat cars. Coates. 9/93.
• GSI Commonwealth 53' flat cars. Walthers. Eager. 12/92.
• Midwest pulpwood flat cars. Holbrook. 10/89, 1, 5/90, 9/91.
• MP pulpwood flat cars. Coates. 9/93.
• NKP 42-foot piggyback flat cars. Kitbash. Athearn. Rydarowicz. 7/98.
• Northeastern pulpwood and wood chip cars. Lancaster. 8/97.
• Pulpwood flat car. Kitbash. Walthers. Schleicher. 4/94.
• PRR F30 piggyback flat cars. Walthers. Rydarowicz. 9/04.
• PRR F30A 40-foot flat cars. Bowser. Hendrickson. 4/99.
• Forthcoming Rapido model.
• RF&P pulpwood flat cars. Coates. 9/93.
• SAL 40'/50' pulpwood flat cars. Kitbash. Athearn. Denton. 10/93.
• Tichy 40' flat cars. Hendrickson. 6/93.
• USRA-design 42' flat cars. Red Caboose. Hendrickson. 1/97.
• WofA pulpwood flat cars. Coates. 9/93.

GONDOLAS

• 40' General Service (GS) gondolas. Detail Associates/Red Caboose. Hendrickson. 3/00.
• 50' War Emergency gondolas. Tichy. Hendrickson. 5, 6/02.
• C&O 100-ton gondolas. Kitbash. Athearn. Westerfield. 12/89.
• CN 141000-142749 48-foot gondolas. Westerfield. Swain. 9/96.
• CNW 43' gondolas. Model Power/Tyco. Preussler. 10/03.
• EJ&E 50' gondola. AHM. Nehrich. 10/94.
• Erie-Lackawanna 52-foot gondola. Proto 2000. Sanicky. 9/98.
• Greenville-design 52-foot mill gondolas. Proto 2000. Hendrickson. 11/96.
• PRR G-31 54' gondola. Con-Cor. Bley. 12/90.
• PRR Gs gondolas. Bowser. Hendrickson. 4/99.
• USRA 41'6" 50-ton composite gondolas. Intermountain/Proto 1000. Hendrickson. 2/00.
• USRA 46' mill gondolas. Westerfield/Walthers. Hendrickson. 7/02.

HOPPERS

• AAR 50-ton offset twin hoppers. Athearn/Atlas. Hawkins. 3/98.
• Intermountain and Kadee models.
• AAR 70-ton offset-side triple hoppers. Con-Cor/Stewart. Hendrickson. 4, 8/95, 5/96.
• AAR Emergency 50-Ton composite hoppers. Athearn/Proto 2000. Hawkins. 12/00, 4/01.
• ACF three-bay hoppers. MDC/Roundhouse. Hawkins. 12/91, 2/94.
• B&O fishbelly hoppers. Stewart. Nehrich. 2/92.
• B&O W-1 hoppers. Kitbash. Bowser. Roseman. 11/00.
• Berwind USRA 55-ton twin hoppers. Accurail/Life-Like/Tichy/Westerfield. 7/89.
• Also MTH, acquired by Scaletrains.
• C&O fishbelly hoppers. Stewart. 4/93.
• C&S USRA 55-ton twin hoppers. Accurail/Life-Like/Tichy/Westerfield. 7/89.
• Also MTH, acquired by Scaletrains.
• CN H-39 clone triple hoppers. Stewart. Eager. 4/93.
• CNJ/CRP fishbelly hoppers. Stewart. Nehrich. 2/92.
• CNJ/CRP fishbelly hoppers. Kitbash. Stewart. Mende. 6/94.
• CR H-39 clone triple hoppers. Stewart. Eager. 4/93.
• D&H fishbelly hoppers. Stewart. Nehrich. 2/92.
• DRGW H-39 clone triple hoppers. Stewart. Eager. 4/93.
• E-L H-39 clone triple hoppers. Stewart. Eager. 4/93.
• LV 34' offset-side hoppers. Kitbash. Athearn/Atlas. Roseman. 10/02.
• LV fishbelly hoppers. Stewart. Nehrich. 2/92.
• MILW H-39 clone triple hoppers. Stewart. Eager. 4/93.
• N&W fishbelly hoppers. Stewart. Nehrich. 2/92.
• P&LE H-39 clone triple hoppers. Stewart. Eager. 4/93.
• PC H-39 clone triple hoppers. Stewart. Eager. 4/93.
• PRR GLa hoppers. Bowser/Westerfield. Burg. 2/02.
• Forthcoming Rapido model.
• PRR H21 hoppers. Bowser. Burg. 5/93.
• PRR H22A hoppers. Bowser. Burg. 5/94.
• PRR H31 hoppers. Athearn. Bley. 7/91.
• PRR H35, 37 hoppers. Stewart. Burg.1/96.
• PRR H39 triple hoppers. Stewart. Eager. 4/93.
• RDG fishbelly hoppers. Stewart. Nehrich. 2/92.
• RDG fishbelly hoppers. Kitbash. Stewart. Mende. 6/94.
• RDG War Emergency hoppers. Kitbash. Roseman. 4/02.
• F&C.
• Roger-Hart 70-ton Convertible Ballast Cars. Proto 2000. Hendrickson. 1/04.
• Roger-Hart Selective ballast. Challenger/Hi-Tech. Hendrickson. 8/01, 3/02.
• Atlas.
• USRA twin hopper. Accurail. Hendrickson. 5/95.
• Also Tichy and MTH, acquired by Scaletrains.
• WM fishbelly hoppers. Stewart. Nehrich. 2/92.
• WM fishbelly hoppers. Stewart. Pitzer. 6/94.
• WM H-39 clone triple hoppers. Stewart. Eager. 4/93.
• WM Channel-side two-bay hoppers. Stewart. Hawkins. 5/97.

REEFERS

• ART reefers. Intermountain. Hawkins. 2/01.
• ART steel reefers. Intermountain/Walthers. Rydarowicz. 7/00.
• ART, MDT, PFE combination-door reefers. Intermountain/Walthers. Rydarowicz. 8/00.
• BREX reefers. Accurail. Wagner. 6/99.
• MDC and Red Caboose reefers. Hendrickson. 2, 10/96, 7/97.
• MDT reefers. Kitbash. Intermountain. Rydarwicz. 5/99.
• NP reefers. Intermountain. Hawkins. 9/00.
• PFE R-40-10 reefers. Intermountain. Hawkins. 2/01.
• PFE R-40-23 reefers. Intermountain. Hendrickson. 10/94.
• PFE R-40-23 reefers. Intermountain. Hendrickson. 3/95.
• PFE R-40-23 reefers. Intermountain. Kohlmann. 9/98.
• PFE R-40-25 reefers. Intermountain. Hawkins. 9/00.
• PFE wood reefers. Red Caboose/Tichy/Westerfield. Hendrickson. 4/97.
• SFRD Rr-5 through Rr-11 reefers. Sunshine. Hendrickson. 1/92.
• SFRD Rr-19 through Rr-32 reefers. C&BT. Hendrickson.11/94.
• SFRD Rr-19 through Rr-32 reefers. Upgrade. C&BT. Hendrickson. 11/94.
• SFRD Rr-19 through Rr-32 reefers. Intermountain. Hendrickson. 12/96.
• Swift reefers. MDC/Sunshine/Tichy. Lofton, 2/93.
• URTX reefers. Branchline Trains. Hawkins 5/00.
• URTX reefers. Kitbash. Mantua/Red Caboose. Rydarowicz. 9/01.
• URTX reefers. Tichy/Westerfield. Westerfield. 6/89, 7/92.

STOCK CARS

• ATSF sk-Q through Sk-U stock cars. Intermountain. Hendrickson. 8/04
• CGW stock car. Proto 2000. Probst. 5/01.
• Mather double-deck stock cars. Proto 2000. Hendrickson. 5/97.
• Mather single-deck stock cars. Proto 2000. Hendrickson. 2/97.
• NP stock cars. Central Valley Model Works. Hendrickson. 9/91.
• Swift stock cars. Lofton. 2/93.

TANK CARS

• 6,000-gallon insulated high-pressure tank cars. Trix. Hendrickson. 9/04.
• ACF ICC-103W 10,000-gallon welded tank cars. Red Caboose. Hendrickson. 4/96.
• AFC Type 21 8,000 gallon tank cars. Proto 2000. Hendrickson. 2/98.
• ACF Type 21 10,000 gallon tank cars. Proto 2000. Hendrickson. 1/00.
• ACF Type 27 8,000-gallon tank cars. Intermountain. Hendrickson. 10/97.
• ACF Type 27 10,000-gallon tank cars. Intermountain. Hendrickson/ 7/97.
• GATC 10,000 and 12,500-gallon tank cars. Kitbash. Athearn. Hendrickson. 8/96.
• ICC 105, 11,000 gallon tank cars. Atlas. Hendrickson. 7/03.
• For more accurate Kadee model see Ed Hawkins clinic and roster.
• Linde 40-foot box/tank cars. McKean. Ryczkowski. 7/93.
• LPG 40-foot tank cars. Athearn. 9/89.
• SOO Pickle tank car. Scratchbuiling. Leider. 2/02.
• Skelgas LP tank car. Kitbash. Athearn. Hodina. 7/89.
• Tichy HO scale small-dome tank car. Hendrickson. 10/90, 4/91.

DETAILS

• Prototype brake wheels c1930-1960. Hawkins. 9/96.
• HO scale freight trucks. Hendrickson.2, 4/90, 12/93, 2/95.
• Richard also published a much more current document online available here.

PAINTING

• Authentic railroad color chips. Box car red. Floquil/SMP/Scalecoat. Hawkins/Wider/Long. 8/89, 6/90
• B&O box car colors. Hawkins/Wider/Long. 8/89.
• PRR Freight car red. LaRue/Gutowski/McGuire/PRRT&HS. 11/90.
• Repack data markings. Switzer. 9/90.
• Reweigh, station, weight and service stencils, placards and truck details. Hendrickson.6/97.
• Weathering freight cars to match the steam era. Hendrickson. 12/95.
• Weathering Kadee box cars. Switzer. 8/01.
• Weathering tank cars. Schleicher. 5/97.

Oddity in Foresville

 In a recent post I included this photo and mentioned that something looked a bit odd:

Two RDCs at Forestville in September 1956 (McNamara).

When I first saw the photo I thought it was Forestville. And sure enough, that's the notation on the photo as well. But when I looked closer, I questioned that, as something just doesn't look right. (You'd have to know Forestville to spot it.)

It looks like the station has moved. 

Huh?

Here's a birds-eye view of Forestville today:

The current location of the station is No. 1, on the west side of Central St. 

In the photo of the RDCs, the track (labeled No. 2) is between Tom McNamara (the photographer) and the station. The signs and lettering on the RDCs proves the photo is not reversed. In addition to the curve in the street, you can see the hip-roofed building (No. 3) in the background. Furthermore, if the photo was from the other direction, the Pequabuck River would be right in front of the station. 

The station in Tom's photo looks like it's located where I've labeled No. 4 (on the east side of Central St). Tom was standing at the corner of Central St. (you can see the top of the stop sign). 

Forestville is a neighborhood in Bristol that borders Plainville. In addition to the passenger station it's a village that is known for its clocks. Both the Sessions Clock Co, and E.N. Welch Manufacturing were to the east of the passenger station, adjacent to the Freight House.

I've oriented all of these maps and photos so they'll match Tom's photo. The train is westbound, so westbound (Waterbury) is to the right, Plainville to the left (east).

On the valuation map from 1915 it looks the station is on the west side of Central St (where the station is today), but only a gateman's house on the east side where the station is in the photo. 

 

Yep, on the 1884 Sanborn map it's to the west of Central St. which is also where it is in both a 1952 and 1965 aerial photos:

Another clue? The sign for Bristol Paint Factory. Although I can't find a listing for a company with that name in the 1956 City Directory, I do find Bristol Lacquer and Chemical Co. Their address? 

29 Church Ave. Which is right at the corner of Church Ave and Central St. and would be to the right of Tom when he took the picture.

However, the relationship of some of the buildings beyond the station don't look quite right to my eye. The hip-roofed building isn't quite in the correct location. 

There's another clue.

There's a detour sign at the corner.

Could this be a temporary bridge while they rebuild/repair the Central St. bridge? If so, Tom would be standing at the corner of Academy St. and Church Ave. 

The proof is another building. At the very edge of the photo is a building with a sign that ends in "nny's." Sure enough, Johnny's Restaurant was at 164 Central St. It was just south of the railroad tracks, on the east side of Central St. (and the station was on the west side of Central St.) and just prior to the bridge.

Was the Central St. bridge damaged or washed out by the 1955 floods? 

It certainly was. Here's a photo looking down Central St, with Johnny's on the left, and the station off the picture to the right.

Dorothy McBrien, August 1955

You can see the grade crossing and Johnny's. The river is usually just past Johnny's. 

There's a picture by George Cowles over at the Bristol Press showing the remains of the bridge.

Sometime after the flood, the temporary bridge was built and still in use in September, 1956 when the picture was taken by Tom.

Hartford Produce Terminal

Over in Hartford, the state is removing a ramp from I-91 to Rt. 5/15 since it has been replaced with a new configuration. This happens to go over the track that goes past the old Hartford Produce Terminal. Although there aren't any industries receiving cars at the old terminal, the Connecticut Southern (CSOR) services an industry (or two?) just beyond it. Because of this, my buddy Dale has been sitting in his truck for 8-12 hours a day so he can flag for the train when it comes through each day. 

I caught it this morning just after it switched the industry (All Waste, I think) and has picked up a cut of hoppers. Dale notified the workers on their lifts so they can come down, then give the train the OK to continue.

After it passes, Dale then installs a portable derail a little further up the street so the train cannot return.

And that's his job for the entire shift. The rest is sitting in his truck since somebody has to be there as long as the construction workers are on duty. In some cases these have been overnight shifts, where no train is coming through at all.

This track is served by CSOR, and I'm standing (when I took the picture) near the switch where it connects to the Valley Line, which is served by the P&W. That track is off to the right of the photo, and Hartford is to my back.

The Produce Terminal was built 1950-1. Dale helped relay 600' of track at the terminal within the last decade, although I'm not sure it has received any traffic since then.

These maps from 1953 show the general arrangement at that time. The track that's not dashed on the map is the Valley Line (and Chris has everything you need to know about that over on his site).

Here's a 1951 aerial photo:

Here's what it looks like today:

Here's the industry that's being served:

It looks like they have some sort of small power to move cars:

This is a very extensive facility. It's accessed via a switchback just beyond the Terminal.

Since Jim may be modeling this too, I took a bunch of pictures:

They have an EMD truck here, Dale said the spring is shot.

I don't remember what this is...

But it's sitting on the main lead for the Terminal. The track it's sitting on is short.

The other runs the length of the building.

Looking the other way.  

There is another track that comes in about a third of the way down.

It's in the same line as the shorter track, and used to connect to the main industry track too.

Some of the center platform is being removed to allow trucks to use the main platform.

About a third of the way down the building, the shorter track ends at a Hayes bumper.

You can see the second track curving in from the left. It used to connect to the main industry track at this location as well, but now just continues down the side of the center platform.

We didn't measure, but think the center platform is about 8' wide.

There is one track along the building to the right of the platform, and one on the other side.

I don't see evidence of more.

In the picture above I'm looking back to the leads. You can see the bumper to the right.

Turning around, I'm looking down the 600' of track that Dale helped relay about a decade ago.

I'm not sure any cars have been delivered since then, but the track is still in service.

It's an extensive terminal, with a capacity on the two tracks of probably 40 reefers back in the day. It's impressive that business was significant enough in 1950-1 that a facility like this was built. Prior to this, the reefers would be serviced in the Morgan St. yard a little further up the Valley Line. It's not clear to me whether the Terminal was railroad built/owned, or if the city did it and simply needed railroad service.

Here are a few more maps around the junction between the terminal track and the Valley Line. I haven't been able to dig up the Sanborn maps, and the valuation maps I have are too early.